Arachidonic acid and leukotriene B4 induce aggregation of human peripheral blood mononuclear leucocytes in vitro

Peripheral human blood mononuclear leucocytes (MNL) aggregated in response to arachidonic acid (AA) in vitro. This phenomenon was similar to that already described for polymorphonuclear cells (PMN). The effect of AA was concentration-dependent and was shared only by the structurally related di-homo-gamma-linolenic acid among the other fatty acids tested. A number of agents able to induce platelet aggregation such as ADP, collagen, serotonin and a stable prostaglandin analogue all failed to stimulate MNL or PMN aggregation. Inhibitors of cyclo-oxygenase activity such as acetylsalicylic acid and indomethacin not only did not prevent AA-induced aggregation, but even potentiated it. In contrast, both nordihydroguaiaretic acid and BW 755C, two inhibitors of cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxygenase, strongly prevented MNL aggregation. Thus AA seems to aggregate MNL through the mediation of lipoxygenase products. This is supported by the observation that leukotriene B4 (LTB4) also induced MNL aggregation. When highly purified lymphocyte and monocyte preparations were assessed separately, the latter responded to AA similarly to mixed MNL whereas lymphocyte aggregation was inconsistent, small and reversible even at high concentrations of AA. Although the pathophysiological significance of the MNL aggregation described here is still obscure, assembly of these cells--particularly monocytes--at the site of injury might be a crucial event.

An analysis of the relationship between 5-lipoxygenase product generation and the secretion of preformed mediators from mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells

The quantitative relationships between the secretion of a granule-associated mediator, beta-hexosaminidase, and the oxidative metabolism of arachidonic acid by the 5-lipoxygenase pathway were analyzed for a homogeneous population of T cell-dependent, bone marrow-derived, murine mast cells. The mast cells were either sensitized with a monoclonal IgE and challenged with specific antigen, or to bypass a transmembrane signal, were stimulated with calcium ionophore A23187. The released products of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway were quantitated by integrated ultraviolet absorbance after resolution by reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography in the case of 5-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE), and by separate radioimmunoassays for leukotriene C4 (LTC4) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4). The activation-release response of the cells was perturbated by the introduction of three pharmacologic agents, each directed to different steps in the 5-lipoxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism, and the action of each agent was determined for separate cell samples while present and after its removal by washing. 5,6-Dehydroarachidonic acid (5,6-DHA), an irreversible inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase, prevented formation of 5-HETE from exogenous [14C]arachidonic acid and from membrane-derived arachidonic acid in a dose-related fashion when sensitized mast cells, preincubated with drug, were washed before antigen activation. Release of 5-HETE, LTC4, and LTB4 was inhibited by 5,6-DHA in a corresponding dose-related fashion, with a minimal preincubation period of 1 to 5 min before the cells were washed and subjected to antigen-dependent activation. In contrast, the inhibitory effect of 5,6-DHA on beta-hexosaminidase release was lost after three washes and was not evident after one wash unless the preincubation period was extended to 15 min. The capacity of 5,6-DHA to prevent leukotriene generation without altering beta-hexosaminidase release was also observed with ionophore-activated mast cells. Preincubation of sensitized cells with diethylcarbamazine (DEC), followed by a wash before antigen-dependent activation, produced inhibition of leukotriene generation, no effect on beta-hexosaminidase release, and augmentation of 5-HETE release at the maximum dose studied; thus, DEC interrupts the pathway distal to the formation of 5-hydroperoxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HPETE) from arachidonic acid by 5-lipoxygenase. Preincubation of sensitized cells with incremental amounts of the prostacyclin analog U-60,257, followed by washing and antigen challenge, inhibited LTC4 release without altering the release of LTB4 or beta-hexosaminidase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Mechanism of action of arachidonic acid in the isolated perfused rat heart

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of action of arachidonic acid in the isolated rat heart perfused with Krebs solution at a constant flow. Administration of arachidonic acid, 3.3-33 nmol, into the heart caused a small transient increase followed by a pronounced decrease in coronary perfusion pressure and increased myocardial tension, heart rate, and the output of prostaglandins (6-keto-PGF1 alpha, PGE2, and PGF2 alpha). Administration of structurally similar fatty acids, dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, and 8,14,17-eicosatrienoic acid, produced vasoconstriction and decreased myocardial tension without affecting heart rate or the output of prostaglandins. Infusion of PGI2, PGF2 alpha, or PGE2 produced coronary vasodilation and increased myocardial tension, whereas PGF2 alpha increased heart rate, an effect which was not prevented by propranolol. Indomethacin blocked the effect of arachidonic acid on myocardial tension and heart rate, but only reduced the duration of coronary vasodilation. The initial component of arachidonic acid induced coronary vasodilation which was unaffected by indomethacin and also remained unaltered during the infusion of three structurally dissimilar lipoxygenase inhibitors, eicosatetraynoic acid, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, and 1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone. Indomethacin did not alter the effects of the exogenously administered prostaglandins on perfusion pressure or myocardial tension; however, it blocked the effect of PGF2 alpha on heart rate. The effect of arachidonic acid or PGF2 alpha to increase heart rate was not blocked by thromboxane synthetase inhibitors, imidazole, or OKY-1581. We conclude that the cardiac effects of arachidonic acid are mediated primarily through its conversion to cyclooxygenase products.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Arachidonic acid induced release of insulin and glucagon: role of endogenous prostaglandins in pancreatic hormone secretion

The involvement of prostaglandins in the effects of arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) on insulin and glucagon release was investigated, using the isolated, perfused rat pancreas model. 20:4n-6, the substrate for dienoic prostaglandins, or 20:3n-3, a fatty acid that cannot be metabolized to prostaglandins were perfused over 55 min. 20: 4n-6 evoked triphasic insulin release: early and late phase during, and "off-response" following the perfusion. With 20:3n-3 the early phase of insulin release was 57% of that with 20:4n-6. 20:4n-6 stimulated only an early phase release of glucagon; 20:3n-3 had no effect. Indomethacin (10 microM, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor) inhibited by 50% the early phase of insulin and glucagon release induced by 20:4n-6, but did not modify insulin release during the early phase with 20:3n-3, or the late phase or off-response with either 20:4n-6 or 20:3n-3. We conclude that 1) the early phase release of insulin and glucagon which occurs with arachidonic acid is due in part to pancreatic biosynthesis of prostaglandins; and 2) in the other phases of insulin release evoked by the fatty acids, alternate "nonspecific" mechanisms may be involved.

Effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents on human neutrophil functions in vitro and in vivo

Human blood neutrophils exposed to appropriate stimuli aggregate, degranulate and generate superoxide anion (O2-). These responses are anteceded by mobilization of membrane-associated calcium, monitored as a decrease in fluorescence of cells preloaded with chlortetracycline (CTC). We studied the effects, both in vitro and in vivo, of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (aspirin, indomethacin, ibuprofen and piroxicam) on these neutrophil responses to three stimuli: a chemoattractant, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP); a tumor promotor, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA); and a lectin, concanavalin A (Con A). The effects of these drugs were compared with those of two polyenoic inhibitors of arachidonate metabolism: eicosatrienoic acid (ETI) and eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA). The pattern of inhibition of neutrophil functions varied both with inhibitor and the nature of the stimulus. Thus, aspirin, piroxicam, ETYA and ETI inhibited neutrophil aggregation, degranulation, and O2- generation in response to FMLP, whereas ibuprofen inhibited only aggregation and degranulation and indomethacin only inhibited aggregation. None of the agents inhibited aggregation or degranulation induced by PMA or Con A: only piroxicam inhibited O2- generation in response to PMA or Con A. ETI and ibuprofen inhibited decrements of CTC fluorescence induced by FMLP, but whereas ETI inhibited the CTC response to PMA or Con A, ibuprofen was without effect. The agents had varying effects on binding of the stimulus [( 3H]FMLP, [3H]Con A), but these did not correlate with neutrophil responses to the ligands. Neutrophils from subjects taking therapeutic doses of ibuprofen, indomethacin, or piroxicam showed profiles of inhibited responses to FMLP similar to those observed with these agents in vitro. These data suggest that, although non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents may inhibit discrete neutrophil functions both in vitro and in vivo, their effects do not duplicate those of polyenoic inhibitors of arachidonate metabolism. Moreover, since the susceptibility of neutrophils differed not only with respect to each inhibitor, but also to the stimulus, it is unlikely that all neutrophil responses are necessarily linked by a common pathway that is blocked by inhibitors of arachidonic acid metabolism.

The inactivation of lipoxygenases by acetylenic fatty acids

5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA) inactivates irreversibly the lipoxygenases from soybeans and reticulocytes in a time-dependent manner. 5,8,11-eicosatriynoic acid (ETrYA) is a powerful inactivator only for reticulocyte lipoxygenase. Several types of experimental evidence indicate that the acetylenic fatty acids act as suicidal substrates which are converted during the lipoxygenase reaction probably to allene hydroperoxides. These highly reactive intermediates or radical precursors react immediately with a methionine residue at the active centre of the enzyme forming one methionine sulfoxide per molecule. Experiments with 14C-labelled ETYA-methylester show that despite complete enzyme inactivation no covalent binding of the suicidal substrate to the lipoxygenases occurred.

Potentiating effect of 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid on human platelet aggregation

5,8,11-Eicosatrienoic acid (20:3 omega 9), a fatty acid increased in the platelet phospholipids of man and animals fed saturated fats, was either added to human platelets simultaneously with the aggregating agents, or incorporated into the platelet phospholipids by preincubation. 20:3 omega 9 markedly increased the response of platelets to all aggregating agents tested when added simultaneously with the agent, but solely to thrombin and ionophore, after incorporation into the platelet phospholipids. The potentiating effects of 20:3 omega 9 on thrombin aggregation do not appear to be related to prostaglandin formation, but rather to the production of a monohydroxy derivative through the lipoxygenase pathway.

Effects of prostaglandins on the prolactin stimulation of lipid biosynthesis in mouse mammary gland explants

The effects of prostaglandins E1 and E2, indomethacin, arachidonic acid, and 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid on the rate of (14C)-acetate incorporation into lipids in mouse mammary gland explants were studied. Prostaglandins E1 and E2, as well as their precursors 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid and arachidonic acid, inhibited the rate of (14C)-acetate incorporation into lipids, possibly through increased cAMP levels or through end product inhibition of acetyl CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthetase by long chain fatty acids. Indomethacin at concentrations of 50 micrograms/ml and above significantly reduced the basal rate of 14C-acetate incorporation into lipids, but it did not abolish the prolactin response. Since the prostaglandins, at low concentrations, have prolactin-like actions on RNA synthesis and ornithine decarboxylase activity, and since indomethacin attenuates the actions of prolactin on RNA synthesis, casein synthesis, and ornithine decarboxylase activity, it seems apparent that all of the metabolic actions of prolactin in the mammary gland may not occur via the same primary mechanism.

In vivo metabolism of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid to bronchoactive products in the canine lung

We investigated the effects of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA), the fatty acid precursor to the monoenoic prostaglandins, on pulmonary mechanics in the intact chest, artificially ventilated dog. Under conditions of normal airway tone, intravenously administered DGLA produced a modest, dose-related increase in lung resistance and decrease in dynamic lung compliance. These responses were approximately 30-100 times less than those produced by arachidonic acid. The bronchoconstrictive responses to DGLA were abolished by prior inhibition of the cyclooxygenase with indomethacin. PGD1 was equal in activity to PGF1 alpha in causing constriction of central and peripheral airways of the dog. PGE1 was without significant airway effects in these animals under conditions of resting airway tone. We conclude that DGLA is a moderately good substrate for the cyclooxygenase pathway enzymes of the canine lung, producing products having a predominantly bronchoconstrictive effect. This bronchoconstriction is most likely due to the synthesis of PGD1 and PGF1 alpha and is not due to the synthesis of lipoxygenase pathway products.

Effects of prostanoid precursors and indomethacin on chick embryonic cartilage growth in organ culture

Using the Fell technique of organ culture of 8-day chick embryo femoral and tibial rudiments, the effects of indomethacin, dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid on limb rudiment linear growth and differentiation were investigated. Indomethacin (50 and 100 mumol/l) elicited a statistically significant decrease in rudiment linear growth without affecting differentiation or cell structure. Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid, both at 100 mumol/l, exerted no effect on limb rudiment linear growth or differentiation. From previous work, it has been shown that PGA1 and PGB1 caused a marked inhibition of linear growth, PGA1 being cytotoxic. The failure of the prostaglandin (PG) precursors to reproduce these effects suggests that PGA or PGB biosynthesis in embryonic chondrocytes plays no significant role in cartilage growth regulatory mechanisms. Moreover, the growth inhibitory effect of the PG cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin, suggests that a product of arachidonic acid metabolism via the cyclooxygenase pathway may promote cartilage growth.

Lipid storage in cultured articular chondrocytes due to prostanoid precursors and a prostanoid synthesis inhibitor

Lapine articular chondrocytes were subcultured in the presence or absence of the prostanoid precursors, arachidonic acid or dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, and the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin. Lipid storage was studied microscopically using the Sudan black staining method. Control chondrocyte cultures showed a weakly positive staining reaction until confluence was reached, at which point the intra-cytoplasmic lipid content decreased. Both arachidonic acid and dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid at 100 mumol/l caused a marked increase in lipid storage which continued even after confluence was achieved. 1 mumol/l concentrations were indistinguishable from controls, whereas 10 mumol/l concentrations elicited a slight increase in lipid storage compared with controls. The prostaglandin cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin did not affect chondrocyte lipid storage. However, administration of a prostanoid precursor in the presence of indomethacin caused a massive increase in intra-cytoplasmic storage of lipid, eventually leading to cell death. A possible explanation is that indomethacin may alter chondrocyte lipid metabolism in the presence of substrate molecules by rechanneling lipid synthesis away from the prostaglandin pathway to other lipid synthetic pathways.

Alterations in articular chondrocyte growth and proteoglycan synthesis due to prostanoid precursors

The effects of the prostaglandin precursors, dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid, on chondrocyte proliferation, proteoglycan synthesis and morphological structure were studied using lapine articular chondrocytes in vitro. Neither substance exerted a cytotoxic effect on chondrocytes. Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid caused a dose-dependent inhibition of chondrocyte proliferation (8% and 35% reduction at 10 and 100 mumol/l respectively) (P less than 0.01), whereas arachidonic acid failed to cause any significant alteration: 10 mumol/l of dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid stimulated proteoglycan synthesis by 14% (P less than 0.01), whilst 100 mumol/l elicited a reduction of 14% (P less than 0.01); 100 mumol/l of arachidonic acid also caused a statistically significant inhibition (31%) (P less than 0.001) of 35SO4 incorporation into proteoglycans. The inhibitory effects on proteoglycan synthesis may be mediated by intracellularly synthesized prostaglandins, which are known to exert this effect. This may also help explain the susceptibility of articular cartilage to damage with increasing age, as arachidonic acid is found in increasing concentrations in the superficial layers of articular cartilage.

Formation of leukotrienes E3, E4 and E5 in rat basophilic leukemia cells

Rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-1) cells incubated with ionophore A23187 and 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid produced three slow-reacting substances identified as leukotrienes C3, D3 and E3 by spectroscopic, chromatographic and enzymatic methods. 5,8,11,14,17-Eicosapentaenoic acid was similarly converted by RBL-1 cells to leukotrienes C5, D5. and E5. Leukotrienes C4, D4 and E4 were also formed in these experiments from endogenous arachidonic acid. Time-course studies, incubations with 3H-labeled leukotriene C3 and effects of acivicin [L-(alpha S, 5S)-alpha-amino-3-chloro-4,5-dihydro-5-isoxazoleacetic acid; a gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase inhibitor] indicated that leukotrienes C and D are intermediates in the formation of leukotrienes E. L-Cysteine enhanced the conversion of leukotriene C3 to leukotriene D3 and inhibited further degradation of leukotriene D3 to leukotriene E3.

Effect of precursors of the 1, 2, and 3 series prostaglandins on renin release and renal blood flow in the dog

The precursors of the monoene, diene, and triene series of prostaglandins, eicosatrienoic acid, arachidonic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid, respectively, were infused at 3 X 10-6, 10-5, and 3 x 10-5 g/kg/min directly into the renal artery of non-filtering, denervated kidneys of conscious propranolol-treated dogs. Renal blood flow was measured with an electromagnetic flow probe around the renal artery and renal renin secretion rate from blood samples taken from catheters in the aorta and renal vein. The highest dose of arachidonic acid increased renal blood flow by 54 +/- 19% and increased renin secretion rate seven-fold. Eicosatrienoic acid produced a smaller increase in renal blood flow but did not significantly increase renin secretion rate. Eicosapentaenoic did not change either blood flow or renin secretion rate. We conclude that compared with arachidonic acid the precursors of the 1 and 3 series of prostaglandins are not significantly involved in the regulation of renal blood flow or renin secretion.

Prostaglandins and renin release: III. Effects of PGE1, E2 F2 alpha and D2 on renin release from rabbit renal cortical slices

We have investigated the direct effects of prostaglandins E1, E2, F2 alpha and D2 on renin release from rabbit renal cortical slices. Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) was the most potent stimulant of renin release, while PGE2 was 20-30 fold less active. PGF2 alpha was found not to be an inhibitor of renin release as reported by others, but rather a weak agonist. PGD2 up to a concentration of 10 microgram/ml had no activity in this system. That the stimulation of renin release by PGE1 is a direct effect is supported by the finding that PGE1-induced release is not blocked by L-propranolol or by delta 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA), a prostaglandin synthesis inhibitor. The fatty acid precursor of PGE1, delta 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid, also stimulated renin release, an effect which was blocked by ETYA. In addition to the above findings, ethanol, a compound frequently used to dissolve prostaglandins, was shown to inhibit renin release.

Effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants on lipid peroxidation in tissue cultures

Lipid peroxidation was measured by the thio-barbituric assay for malondialdehyde (MDA). A small amount of MDA was formed when medial cells from guinea pig aorta were grown in tissue culture. The polyunsaturated fatty acids 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid, 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid, and 7,10,13,16-docosatetraenoic acid generated significant amounts of MDA in a time-dependent manner when they were added to cultures of medial cells and fibroblasts. MDA or its precursor remained within the cell and did not accumulate in the media. Indomethacin enhanced MDA formation from polyunsaturated fatty acid. Alpha-Tocopherol, alpha-tocopherolquinone, and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT) inhibited MDA formation when a polyunsaturated fatty acid was incubated with the pro-oxidant cumene hydroperoxide. Menadione had no effect on MDA formation in the cumene hydroperoxide system. Alpha-Tocopherol and alpha-tocopherolquinone inhibited MDA formation when they were added to cells in culture. Menadione had no effect on MDA formation in tissue culture. Anti-oxidant effects which were time-dependent showed that intracellular MDA was generated from a lipid peroxide precursor during the thiobarbituric acid assay. Relative plating efficiency was measured in medial cells and fibroblasts. Alpha-Tocopherolquinone and alpha-tocopherol enhanced the extent of cell proliferation. Alpha-Tocopherolquinone overcame the inhibitory effect of a polyunsaturated fatty acid on the extent of cell proliferation. Menadione was cytotoxic. Thus antioxidant data support the hypothesis that the extent of cell proliferation is controlled in part by lipid peroxidation.

New model of a scaling dermatosis: induction of hyperproliferation in hairless mice with eicosa-5,8,11-trienoic acid

The present studies have demonstrated that topical application of a low concentration of eicosa-5,8,11-trienoic acid (a 20:3,n9 fatty acid previously reported to inhibit competitively the activity of the sheep vesicular cyclooxygenase) to skin of normal fed hairless mice produced severe scaly dermatosis which is characterized by marked hyperplasia and acanthosis of the epidermal layer. The precise mechanism of this induction of scaly dermatosis is presently unclear. It is nonetheless interesting that the treatment of skin with similar concentrations of other unsaturated fatty acids produced no visible or histologic effects. Furthermore, endogenous levels of arachidonic acid in epidermal phospholipid and triglyceride fractions were shown to increase significantly (p < 0.01) in skin treated with the 20:3,n9 fatty acid while the endogenous level of PGE2 in the same tissue decreased markedly. This latter observation is consistent at least in part, with a previous report from this laboratory in which the 20:3,n9 fatty acid inhibited in vitro the activity of the sheep vesicular cyclooxygenase (the rate limiting enzyme in the transformation of arachidonic acid into the prostaglandin endoperoxides) although the increase in arachidonic acid may also reflect an increased incorporation of this fatty acid into the epidermal lipids by the hyperproliferative tissue. Evaluation of the proliferative status of 20:3,n9 fatty acid-treated skin showed a significant increase (p < 0.01) in labeling and mitotic indices. The use of this potentially endogenous fatty acid may be a useful tool for further investigations of hyperproliferative skin diseases where dietary deficiency of essential fatty acids does not exist.

Conversion of 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid to leukotrienes C3 and D3

5,8,11-Eicosatrienoic acid was converted by mouse mastocytoma cells stimulated with ionophore A23187 to two slow reacting substances. These were characterized by spectroscopy and by chemical and enzymatic degradations as two geometrical isomers of 5-hydroxy-6-S-glutathionyl-7,9,11-eicosatrienoic acid (E,E,Z; leukotriene C3 and E,E,E; 11-trans-leukotriene C3). Corresponding cysteinylglycine compounds (leukotriene D3 and 11-trans leukotriene D3) were obtained from the leukotriene C3 isomers by treatment with kidney gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. The biological effects of leukotrienes C3 and D3, on the isolated guinea pig ileum, were approximately the same as of leukotrienes derived from arachidonic acid.

Frogs produce a physiologically active compound from eicosapentaenoic acid

Prostaglandins have been shown to modulate water flow in anuran amphibian urinary bladders. These experiments examined which fatty acid precursor could be metabolized by bladders, and the effect of metabolites on osmotic water flow. Hemibladders were incubated with precursors or prostaglandins (1 microM) and water flow measured. In addition, hemibladders were incubated with 14C-labelled eicosatrienoic, arachidonic, or eicosapentaenoic acid, and products identified by thin layer chromatography. Addition of prostaglandins E1, E2 and I2 inhibited water flow. Eicosatrienoic acid did not affect water flow. Arachidonic acid inhibited basal water flow, an effect which was not completely reversed with the addition of indomethacin. Eicosapentaenoic acid stimulated water flow, and the stimulation was blocked with indomethacin. Frog urinary bladder did not synthesize any prostaglandins from 14C-eicosatrienoic acid. 14C-arachidonic acid was converted into PGE2 and PGD2. 14C-eicosapentaenoic acid was synthesized into compounds, presumably PGE3 and PGD3, with the opposite physiological effects of two-series prostaglandins. The data suggest that effects of prostaglandins on amphibian bladder depend on the substrate which is metabolized.

Arachidonic acid stimulates short-circuit current in the isolated toad urinary bladder

The effects of the prostaglandin (PG) precursors 5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (arachidonic acid) and 8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid (dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid) on short-circuit current (SCC) were assessed in the isolated toad urinary bladder. Arachidonic acid added to the serosal bathing media increased SCC and immunoreactive PGE2 (iPGE2) synthesis in a dose-related manner. Pretreatment with eicosatetraynoic acid (50 micrometer), a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor, completely blocked the arachidonic acid-induced increase in SCC and significantly reduced iPGE2 synthesis (P less than .025, n = 9). Eicosatrienoic acid (100 micrometer) was equieffective with arachidonic acid in increasing SCC and iPGE1 synthesis. Addition of arachidonic acid (100 micrometer) to the mucosal bathing media produced no significant increase in SCC and only increased iPGE2 synthesis from 0.03 +/- 0.01 pmol/min (n = 5) to 0.31 +/- 0.03 pmol/min, a level not different from the serosal basal rate of iPGE synthesis (0.21 +/- 0.16 pmol/min, n = 5). PGE1 (1 micrometer) added to the serosal media significantly increased SCC reaching a maximum increase of 157 +/- 43% (P less than .025, n = 6) by 30 min whereas addition to the mucosal media resulted in a delayed (60 min) and lesser maximum increase (59 +/- 19%, P less than .02, n = 6). It is concluded that prostaglandin precursors increase SCC and PGE synthesis in the isolated toad urinary bladder. However, the present data do not support PGE as the metabolite responsible for the increase in SCC.